From the crystalline cold to scorching sands, the public is invited to see and hear new presenters take us to fascinating extremes in two evening travelogues presented by Grannies à Gogo.
“Antarctica: a Vast and Silent World” will be presented on Friday, and “Dubai and Other Emirates” will be presented May 8. Both PowerPoint presentations are at 7 p.m. in the People Place.
Intrepid traveler Sharron Simpson travels by ice breaker, zodiac, and kayak through one of our last true frontiers, Antarctica. What she finds provides an unparalleled immersion into a strange, profound and puzzling world that will reshape the way you look at your world.
“Its history, wildlife, and beauty make for a life-altering travel experience,” she said.
She notes that even with our vast spaces in Canada, her notion of distance was reconfigured as she travelled through Buenos Aires on to “the end of the world” — Ushuaia —before joining a Russian ice breaker, through the surf to the Falkland Island, on to the South Georgia whaling stations, and finally to the Antarctic continent. Its wild beauty is the stuff of legend.
Beverley Barling, in the second travelogue, opens our eyes to the history and modern- day life of Dubai and the other Emirates. Nowhere else in the world has there been such a rapid and dramatic change in a country as there has been here, where as much change has taken place in the space of 40 years as would have happened over hundreds of years in most other places. She guides us through a people who have changed from a harsh life of heat and water scarcity, to a modern life driven by the riches of oil.
“The dramatic changes transitioned quickly from camels to Cadillacs, and from shifting desert trails to six-lane highways,” said Barling.
Join in as we share adventures of immense scale and visual splendour in the extremes of Antarctica and the United Arab Emirates! Whether you are an appreciative armchair traveler or scouting for new travel adventures of your own, you’ll enjoy the view from here. All presentations will be held at the People Place, 3402- 27th Ave., lower level, room 006, at 7 p.m. Admission is $5 per travelogue, payable at the door and all proceeds directly support AIDS-bereaved “gogos” (grandmothers) in South Africa. For more information about Grannies à Gogo: the Vernon – South Africa Connection go to www.granniesagogo.com or e-mail granniesagogo@gmail.com
Susan Fenner is the publicity rep for Grannies à Gogo.
